How to Write a Skills-Based Resume Without Fluff (Free Templates and Examples)

To write a skills-based resume, start with the resume objectives section. Highlight your job title, professional background, and areas of expertise. Next up is a “skills summary” section. Include a skill you excel in (e.g., Microsoft Office) using bold text. Then, write a bullet point underneath specifying what you’re capable of. For instance, “Highly skilled in creating detailed reports and engaging presentations to support customer service objectives.” From there, continue with your work experience, education, and additional sections as usual. 

A skills-based resume focuses on your skills, not your work history. 

Writing a skills-based resume means emphasizing your professional abilities without putting your work experience first. 

But recruiters are interested in relevant experience almost 100% of the time. So, when they see a candidate using the skills-based (or functional) resume format, it immediately raises suspicions.

After all, if you have nothing to hide, why not use the standard reverse chronological format? 

To counter this objection with a skills-based resume, your best bet is to include a relevant achievement using quantitative data. Write a bullet point underneath the skill listed in the “skills summary” section with tangible evidence of how you applied the skill mentioned. 

Now, if you’re convinced that a skills-based resume is truly your best option, this guide is for you. I’ll share how to write a skills-based resume that positions you as someone with the right skill set, even if you haven’t had the most consistent career timeline. 

What Is a Skills-Based Resume? 

The skills-based resume is an alternative format to the standard reverse chronological resume format. It’s also known as a functional resume.

Skills-based resumes don’t highlight your overall professional background. They focus on specific parts of your work experience that are transferable to the role you’re applying for. 

Instead of putting your career progression in the spotlight, a skills-based resume focuses on your skills. And in this format, the work experience section doesn’t come after the summary or objectives section. The following section would be what’s called a “skills summary.” This is where you list a skill you’re proficient in. Next, you describe and specify how you’re proficient in that skill. 

Here’s who this resume format is ideal for: 

• Career changers
• Job seekers with little to no experience
• Anyone whose past roles don’t directly relate to the target job position 

The aim of a skills-based resume is to highlight transferable skills and achievements to show employers that you meet the job requirements.

What Makes a Skills-Based Resume Different? 

This is different from the traditional format because it’s mostly about describing your skill set rather than previous job responsibilities. 

The standard resume presents your skills, too, but it’s more prominent in a skills-based resume. Unlike the standard format, the skills-based format is designed to showcase your skills and competencies over your experience. 

Overall, this format doubles down on the following: 

• Skills
• Knowledge
• Potential

Let’s briefly compare it to the other ATS resume formats.

Skills-Based Resume vs Reverse Chronological Resume 

• The former provides an overview of specific transferable skills and knowledge. In contrast, the latter provides an overview of work history.
• Skills-based resumes emphasize what you could offer to the company. On the other hand, the reverse chronological resume emphasizes your career timeline.
• Both are designed to present you as a qualified candidate. The skills-based resume does so by presenting relevant abilities you’ve developed. Whereas, the standard reverse chronological resume does so by highlighting corporate experience. 

Skills-Based Resume vs Combination Resume 

• The skills-based resume focuses on your areas of expertise. But, the combination resume has a balanced focus on both skills and experience. 
• Combination resumes are well-rounded. Whereas, skills-based resumes are mostly based on your abilities. 

When to Use a Skills-Based Resume

The skills-based format should only be used as a last resort when you’re in one of the following scenarios:

• You have no formal work experience in the field you’re applying for
• You’re making a significant career change
• You have employment gaps and an inconsistent work history lacking progression
• Your previous job titles don’t add up

Even then, I’d still suggest going for the standard resume format but modifying its structure based on your situation. 

Anyway, whichever category you fall into, it’s worth writing a cover letter alongside your resume. Let’s go into each of the listed scenarios in a bit more detail. 

You Have No Formal Work Experience

It’s an option for those of you with how to make a resume with no experience. This usually includes students and recent graduates.

However, you can still position yourself as a qualified candidate. Meet the job description criteria using resume keywords. Then, showcase your knowledge and abilities to give recruiters confidence you have potential. 

You’re Making a Big Career Change

Making a career change means moving into a different job or industry. 

In this case, you might not have any direct work experience in the new field you’re interested in. 

So, it makes sense to use a skills-based resume because it enables you to emphasize the relevant parts of your career background. Unlike listing all of your previous jobs, this approach helps you make an application that’s more how to tailor your resume to a job. 

You Have Employment Gaps

An employment gap refers to a period in your career where you were unemployed. 

Having nothing to show for during an extended period of time raises questions. So using this format for your resume helps you steer the focus away from your time off by putting most of the spotlight elsewhere. 

In this situation though, it’s important to show your skills and knowledge are up-to-date.

Your Previous Job Titles Don’t Add Up

Another way to put it is that you have no direct experience in the job or industry you’re applying for. 

If you’ve had a range of different jobs in the past then it might not portray a clear narrative of your growth as a professional. So rather than looking at quantity, focus on quality by going in-depth on the relevant jobs with transferable skills. 

How to Showcase Your Skills in a Functional Resume

Here’s how to highlight your skills in a functional (or skills-based) resume:

• Mention your areas of expertise in the summary or objectives section.
• Create a “skills summary” section. Write a skill you’re proficient in, and add a bullet point underneath describing a relevant achievement that proves you excel in the particular skill noted. 
• Alternatively, describe how you put the skills listed in the “skills summary” section to use by describing relevant responsibilities from a previous role. 
• Use clear action verbs in the work experience section, detailing accomplishments from carrying out a responsibility. 

In essence, reflect on your different types of skills and accomplishments. Think about these aspects from both your academic and corporate backgrounds. 

Reflect on Different Types of Skills

Here’s a few examples of different types of skills to reflect on:

• Hard skills: skills directly related to the core job responsibilities.
• Soft skills: related to interpersonal ability and communication. 
• Transferable skills: skills developed from previous work experience that’s applicable to the role you’re applying to.
• Leadership skills: your ability to perform as a leader. 

These can be listed in the skills section or described under your work experience. Alternatively, describe them under another resume section where it’s appropriate. 

Reflect on Your Achievements

Achievements demonstrate excellence. It’s a form of recognition from times you exceeded expectations. Or from times when you completed something which required a level of knowledge and commitment. 

Here’s some examples to consider: 

• Awards: formal recognition of your accomplishments when you’ve gone above and beyond.
• Certifications: documents from companies or institutions stating you’re knowledgeable about a subject. 
• Results: any positive outcomes that were achieved as a result of your own efforts. 

How to Write a Skills-Based Resume

Here’s how to write a skills-based resume: 

• Add your contact details in the header section.
• Write a summary of your work background, including areas of expertise and interest. You can also include a career objective that aligns with the company’s goals. 
• Create a “skills summary” section. List a skill and then write a bullet point underneath clarifying how proficient you are at said skill.
• Include a work experience section, focusing on relevant duies and accomplishments.
• Put formal academic qualifications in the education section. 
• Include additional resume sections that help prove your skill set and depth of knowledge. 

Don’t overexaggerate or write about something that’s ambiguous. Even worse, don’t lie on your resume.

As you’re going through the steps below, keep the job description and company’s best interests in mind. 

1. Complete the Header 

The resume header includes contact details using basic personal background information such as:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Location
• Website 
• LinkedIn profile

Nothing else is needed in terms of personal details – learn the resume dos and don'ts.

2. Write a Summary of Why You’re Qualified for the Role

The resume summary is your hook to get recruiters engaged. 

This gives you the opportunity to immediately make an impression by providing an overview of your strengths and career highlights. 

Here’s some things you could talk about to prove you’re a qualified candidate:

• Areas of expertise
• Best skills
• Relevant core values
• Quantified results

Or, this space could be used for writing about your resume objectives. 

3. Describe Your Skills in the Work Experience Section 

All resumes need to show what to write in a resume for work experience. It’s the most important section. There’s no way around it except on rare occasions. 

Only list the jobs with transferable skills. If not, then it defeats the purpose of a skills-based format. 

Aim for at least 2-3 job titles with at least 2-3 how many bullet points per job on resume under each role. These should still be listed in reverse chronological order, so starting from the most recent job position first and then going back to the oldest. 

When it comes to writing the bullet points, focus on describing the skills you’ve learned and developed. Highlight relevant responsibilities as well as the results of your actions. 

4. List Qualifications in the Education Section

Formal qualifications such as your university degree belong in the how to list education on resume. 

This includes the following:

• University degree 
• Place of study
• Date of graduation
• GPA

Your academic background is also an indicator of your skills and knowledge. Unlike the standard resume format though, this section could go after the resume summary followed by your work experience. 

5. Categorize Your Skills 

Use the skills section to group your skills together into specific categories.

On top of making them easier to read through by adding structure, it highlights your expertise in different areas. This is ideal for a functional resume format because it helps create the impression that you have a diverse skill set. 

However, don't go off listing everything you can. Only mention relevant skills for the role. 

6. Use Additional Sections to Further Showcase Your Skills

You’re naturally at a disadvantage when you lack work experience. 

Besides putting more emphasis on your skills, another way to make up for it is by using additional resume sections. For example, write about volunteering experience. Or include a certifications section to make a list of certificates you’ve earned. 

Other sections may include:

• Involvement
• Licenses
• Projects
• Training

Tips for Structuring a Skills-Based Resume Format

There are other ways to structure your application. Here’s a few examples to explain what I mean:

• Work experience doesn’t always have to go last
• The summary section could still be omitted 
• You don’t always have to categorize your skills 

Ultimately, it’s your application. Review both your strengths and the job description to determine how to best present your value. From there, customize your resume accordingly.

To be specific, we’ll go through some functional resume samples with different structures. 

Example 1: Start With Your Academic Background 

After the summary section, it brings us to the main body of your resume. This can begin with your academic background by putting the education section first followed by the work experience section. 

Here’s an example below.

Example 2: Start With Your Experience

Work experience could be the first section of your resume even if you decide not to write a summary. 

Although the work history could be saved until last, the reality is that doing this can make career gaps more noticeable. Whereas, structuring your resume in a similar format as the standard resume suggests there’s nothing to hide since you’re embracing your career timeline. 

However, the only difference is that it’s mainly focused on showcasing your skills. Here’s an example below.

Use Our Free Resume Templates Instead of Writing From Scratch

Try giving one of the resume templates below a go. They’re free and optimized for getting past the resume scanners and are easily customizable.

And if you need inspo, check out our library of resume examples here.

Bold Resume Template

Alternative Resume Template

The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Functional Resume

Advantages:

• It may help conceal gaps in your employment timeline
• Positions you as a qualified candidate despite having limited experience
• Enables you to create a more customized resume 

Disadvantages:

• Doesn’t provide a clear picture or narrative of your professional growth 
• Some companies might not accept them

They’re effective when you don’t have much direct work experience. The skills-based format prompts recruiters to determine your competency through transferable skills and knowledge.

Do Employers Prefer Skills-Based Resumes? 

The reverse chronological resume is preferable because it’s the most common resume format. As skills-based resumes put more attention to your skills, it raises questions about your work experience. But a good counter to this is following a similar structure to the standard resume and using cover letters. 

Use Rezi AI Resume Builder to Create Your Own Custom Resume

Ever considered using an AI writer to create your resume automatically? 

Well, it’s one way to not have to worry about tailoring your application.

But more importantly, it’s useful for quickly coming up with ideas based on your needs. The AI writer does this effectively by using the job title and job description you’re applying for. 

All you need to do is sign up here for free to get instant access. No credit card required. 

Watch the short clip below to see how the AI feature works. 

Summary

Let’s summarize how to write a skills-based resume: 

• Add your full name, email address, phone number, location, and a link to your portfolio or LinkedIn account in the header section.
• Provide an overview of the areas you're most experienced and skilled in alongside an objective that’s relevant to how you can benefit the company.
• List skills in the “skills summary” section and write bullet points to describe said skills. Make it clear that you actually excel in these areas by mentioning relevant achievements or responsibilities using data. 
• Describe previous job titles that are relevant to the role in the work experience section.
• Add educational achievements like a Bachelor’s degree in the education section.
• Consider including other sections like projects or certifications to reinforce your work background.

Unfortunately, the skills-based resume is often approached the wrong way. 

Some people write them with the main priority of hiding career gaps rather than proving their value. It does technically help you do this by putting less attention on your work history and more on your skills, but that shouldn’t be your biggest priority. Otherwise, it tends to lead to taking things out of context, blowing things out of proportion, and writing fluff.  

The best thing to do in a skills-based resume is to give proof of your skills when describing them. Start with an action verb to describe a relevant responsibility you carried out or a positive outcome you helped accomplish, and use numbers to emphasize your impact.